Wine of the week: Davis Bynum, 2020 Virginia’s Block, Jane’s Vineyard, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

A sun-dappled vineyard is one way sauvignon blanc can develop extraordinary flavors.

This is what tipped the scale in favor of The Press Democrat’s wine of the week winner — the Davis Bynum, 2020 Virginia’s Block, Jane’s Vineyard, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc at $25.

“This vintage, due to the drought, we didn’t water the vines as much, and as a result, the canopy was smaller and the shoots were shorter,” explained Greg Morthole, winemaker of the Davis Bynum brand. “The light exposure was near ideal on the leaves and berries ... so the flavor development was fantastic.”

This well-crafted sauvignon blanc has aromas and flavors of grapefruit, lime and lemon. It rides on refreshing acid, has great minerality and finishes crisp.

“Sauvignon blanc can show green notes in its flavors or become extremely tropical and citrusy,” Morthole said. “There’s a shortage of quality Russian River Valley sauvignon blanc, and you don’t see too many single-block sauvignon blancs around. Virginia’s Block had some faint green notes until we got the canopy under control.”

The winemaker said he has paid close attention to this vineyard for a dozen years because it was a favorite of the late Davis and Virginia Bynum. The couple, who founded the label, sold it to the Klein family in 2007. Tom Klein, the vintner of Rodney Strong Vineyards, produces the Davis Bynum at his Healdsburg Winery.

“It’s an honor for me to carry it (the sauvignon blanc) forward,” Morthole said. “My aim is to make the wine complex, balanced and flat-out delicious. Though it leans on citrus tones, most vintages have a layer of tropical notes due to the light exposure and yeast selection.”

Bynum is credited with being one of the pioneers of Russian River Valley pinot noir. He bought a vineyard in Napa but was prevented from building a winery, so he moved to the Russian River Valley and purchased an old hop kiln on a property on Westside Road. He turned it into a winery just in time for the 1973 harvest and bought some grapes that year to make the very first single-vineyard-designate pinot noir from the Russian River Valley.

Morthole, 49, joined Rodney Strong in 2005 and became the winemaker of the Davis Bynum brand in 2010. He was drawn to the world of wine after sipping a glass of Gran Riserva Tempranillo.

“Twenty years ago, my wife and I traveled to Spain to visit a friend whose father worked for the International Organization of Vine and Wine in Madrid,” he said. “His dad gave us the bottle. We opened it at the Girl & the Fig when it was still in Glen Ellen.”

As we ride out the pandemic, Morthole said, his chief fear is that he might lose his sense of smell and taste. But most days he’s undaunted, immersed in the science and art of winemaking.

“My two most valuable traits are curiosity and my ability not to take myself too seriously,” he said. “Both are great for winemaking, and life in general.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.